


To the Goddess Sul, For the Safety of Marcus Flavius Aquila

by Seascribe



Category: The Eagle | The Eagle of the Ninth (2011)
Genre: Aquae Sulis, Canon Era, Gen, Prayer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-24
Updated: 2011-10-24
Packaged: 2017-10-24 22:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/268540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seascribe/pseuds/Seascribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cottia prays for Marcus and Esca's safe return to Calleva.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To the Goddess Sul, For the Safety of Marcus Flavius Aquila

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the fourth round of The Eagle Fanmedia Challenge, inspired by the image of Minerva. The original premise came from Carmarthen, who was also kind enough to look over this and offer suggestions. The title is a cop out and is taken from one of the inscriptions found at Bath, with Marcus' name slotted in.

Marcus had told Cottia that they might be back before winter set in. As the days shorten, she listens for his whistle in the garden, or for word, even if it is just slaves' gossip, hinting that he might be south of the wall again, on the way home. But there is nothing, and then her aunt insists that Cottia must accompany the rest of the household to Aquae Sulis, so that even if there is news, she will not hear it until spring.

Cottia prays every day that the gods will bring both of them back safely, and that Marcus will be able to keep his faith with his father. But her gods are not Marcus'. What if her prayers and offerings for him are all in vain, and her gods have care only for Esca, one of their own? Surely that will still be enough! Esca would protect Marcus with his life, she knows it, and Cottia does not want to pray to the gods of Rome. But she does want for Marcus to come home safely, and Esca with him.

She doesn't have enough coin to make very good offerings, but she makes them sincerely, and prays very hard, hoping that will make up the difference and that Sulis Minerva or Juno or perhaps both will take heed. She is not at all sure she has picked the right gods, but it seems only right to offer prayers to the patron of this place, and Juno seems the best choice of Rome's gods. Even if she could afford more offerings, Cottia does not know how to go about making the proper supplications to any of the other Roman gods she has heard of.

She is not sure if Marcus' God of the Legions would hear her prayers, since she is a woman and knows nothing more of him than his worship and the mark between Marcus' brows and has nothing to sacrifice, but she offers prayers anyway, just to be safe, when she prays to Lugh Light of the Sun and the rest of her own gods.

There is plenty of time for her to make this daily litany of prayers, because she has absolutely no interest in taking the waters and listening her aunt and her silly Roman friends with their chatter. Everything is deadly boring, and she counts the days until spring when they will go back to Calleva. She hopes that Cub is not pining too badly. Perhaps Marcus will be there when they return. The thought that he might not come back at all, she forces away. She turns his bracelet round and round on her arm and wonders what will happen when he comes home.

If Marcus finds the Eagle and goes back to Rome to reform his father's legion, what will Esca do, now that he is free? She cannot imagine him with the army; any more than she can imagine he would leave Marcus. But neither does she think they would stay in Calleva. Esca does not like the walls and angles any more than she does, and when they build the city walls round, there will be no place for Cub to go running freely, and surely Marcus would not expect them to stay.

So not the army and not Calleva. She does not know what else a young man who had once been a soldier might do, but perhaps it is something that she might be able to help with. She is strong and healthy and knows a great deal about horses; she could be useful. Perhaps, if she asked, he would take her with him, to Gaul or Spain or Egypt, and she and Esca and Cub need never fear being shut in by walls again.

When she makes her prayers that day, she adds one for herself, a prayer that whatever comes next will take her away from Calleva and its walls and keep her with her friends


End file.
